This publication is *Lowpass*, a specialized newsletter authored by Janko Roettgers, which delves deeply into the continuously shifting and intricately blended intersection between technology and the entertainment industry. Distributed exclusively to subscribers of *The Verge* on a weekly basis, it seeks to interpret how innovation and media consistently reshape one another.
Since its inception in 2009, *Atlas Obscura* has cultivated a remarkable and ever-expanding collection of humanity’s hidden wonders—those unusual, delightful, and often obscure corners of the globe that reveal the extraordinary within the everyday. Through a process of crowdsourcing combined with expert editorial curation, the platform’s dedicated community and staff have amassed detailed accounts, essays, and photographs covering more than 32,000 sites. These locations span a dazzling spectrum—from eerie, abandoned amusement parks once filled with laughter, to isolated, sunlit beaches almost untouched by tourism, and to the feline-inhabited *Cat Island* of Japan, which has become an emblem of local charm and global curiosity. Over time, the platform’s contributors have also generated in excess of 93 million personalized lists, effectively documenting countless interpretations of adventure and discovery. To extend its mission and invite wider participation, *Atlas Obscura* has diversified beyond its website, producing books, podcasts, and multimedia experiences that amplify its purpose: celebrating the strange, the rare, and the inspiringly authentic corners of the world.
Still, for all its ambition, *Atlas Obscura* has long recognized a defining limitation: many of these places—remote temples, secluded shores, inaccessible ruins—remain physically unattainable for the majority of people. As Doug Baldinger, the company’s chief content officer, explains, the organization’s founding ideal was to make the experience of exploration universally accessible, even to those unable to embark on costly international journeys. When consumer virtual reality (VR) technology first captivated public imagination roughly a decade ago, it appeared to offer an extraordinary solution: a way to virtually transport users to faraway lands without leaving their homes. Baldinger recalls that the team’s aspiration was fundamentally democratic—to demonstrate that the spirit of travel and wonder could transcend geography and circumstance, allowing anyone, anywhere, to experience awe.
Yet the early promise of VR quickly met the sobering reality of technological constraints. In pursuit of widespread reach, *Atlas Obscura* initially aligned its efforts with affordable headset models such as Samsung’s Gear VR and Meta’s Oculus Go. However, the limitations of these devices soon became apparent. Their lack of full motion tracking—specifically, the absence of six degrees of freedom—meant that users could look but not move, undermining the illusion of true spatial presence. As the novelty waned, much of the hardware literally gathered dust; early adopters abandoned their headsets within weeks, disappointed by the gap between marketing expectations and actual immersion. “The delivery platform simply wasn’t capable of realizing our creative intentions,” recalls Nathan Anderson, founder of *New Canvas*, the immersive media studio that has become a key collaborator on these experiences.
Refusing to let past disappointments define its future, *Atlas Obscura* revisited the VR space once technology matured. Last year, it relaunched its virtual app with remastered content for Meta’s Quest and, in the months that followed, extended availability to *Android XR* and *Steam*, thereby reaching both dedicated headset owners and desktop explorers. Now, the company is preparing to transcend device categories altogether. In early 2026, it plans to unveil the *Obscura Society*, a browser-based, WebXR-powered social 3D environment intended to democratize immersion—making the wonders of the world accessible to anyone, regardless of hardware.
The *Obscura Society* aspires to serve as a kind of virtual salon—an elegant digital lounge in which community members can convene using personalized three-dimensional avatars, engage in real-time voice conversations, and collaboratively explore the massive archive of *Atlas Obscura*. Within this space, a friendly AI-driven bartender will offer both virtual refreshments and factual tidbits about destinations featured on the site. For participants equipped with VR headsets, interactive portals will enable effortless transitions from the lounge into fully realized *Atlas Obscura* environments, offering deeper levels of presence and adventure.
This upcoming world is being built atop HTC’s *Viverse* platform. Interestingly, Baldinger admits that he had only limited familiarity with this ecosystem when *New Canvas* proposed the collaboration. Ultimately, *Viverse* distinguished itself from other metaverse contenders—such as Meta’s *Horizon Worlds* or *VRChat*—through its emphasis on accessibility and ease of participation. “It’s about reducing barriers,” says Anderson, noting that even in otherwise popular virtual spaces, users must still create accounts or navigate complex interfaces. *Viverse*, by contrast, allows visitors to enter directly, no registration required. Its framework can also be embedded seamlessly within the *Atlas Obscura* website, enabling users to shift fluidly from reading an article or listening to a podcast into the communal lounge space, whether they’re on desktop, mobile, or headset. As Anderson anticipates, the vast majority of participants will likely engage through ordinary devices rather than specialized VR gear.
According to Andranik Aslanyan, head of growth for *Viverse*, the platform currently observes a roughly equal distribution of users across desktop, mobile, and VR devices—a testament to its device-agnostic philosophy. His team also provided partial funding for the *Obscura Society* through creator support programs. “We’re completely indifferent to hardware allegiances,” Aslanyan explains. “In fact, more users access *Viverse* through Meta hardware than HTC’s own Vive systems,” underscoring the platform’s commitment to cross-compatibility and openness.
While *Viverse* already hosts an impressive 23,000 distinct 3D worlds, Aslanyan deliberately avoids labeling it a “metaverse.” The term, he argues, evokes misleading imagery of a single unified digital reality. Instead, *Viverse* operates more like a distributed network of separate 3D web environments—independent yet interlinked—similar in function to YouTube video embeds, where each space serves as a self-contained experience that can be seamlessly integrated into a larger digital ecosystem. Their design objective, as he puts it, is “to make 3D exploration feel as natural and accessible as video consumption.”
For *New Canvas*, projects like the *Obscura Society* represent the emergence of a new breed of “third places” within virtual culture—environments that are neither structured games nor purely passive media, but communal digital habitats facilitating social connection. As Anderson elaborates, sometimes users simply want to meet friends, converse, or linger in a setting that feels alive yet unpressured. Such environments can act as gentle entry points into immersive worlds, conveniently bridging casual exploration and advanced virtual reality for those inclined to go further.
The *Obscura Society* will also incorporate artificial intelligence to enrich interaction. The AI-powered bartender will draw upon *Atlas Obscura’s* extensive database of locations and stories, spontaneously surfacing anecdotes or factual curiosities in response to conversation. Yet, this embrace of automation arrives amid internal debate. In recent months, *Atlas Obscura*—like many creative organizations—has faced criticism from some staff members and long-time readers regarding the company’s broader strategy toward AI integration, as well as related newsroom restructuring. Baldinger acknowledges these sensitivities, emphasizing that within this particular context, AI is not intended to replace human creativity but rather to foster more meaningful forms of social and intellectual engagement. “We regard this as an application of artificial intelligence that can actually strengthen human connection,” he explains.
By merging WebXR interactivity, social collaboration, and judicious use of AI, *Atlas Obscura* seeks to reimagine what discovery means in the digital age. If successful, the *Obscura Society* may blur the boundary between reading about the world and virtually accompanying others to experience it firsthand—proving once again that curiosity, when paired with technological ingenuity, can transport people far beyond the limits of geography.
Sourse: https://www.theverge.com/column/847182/atlas-obscura-society-3d-virtual-lounge
